The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The Tool Chest Cherry Picker dilemna.

Just wanted some opinions on a cherry picker. I've been looking around and the only two places I've been able to come up with is Tractor Supply and yes, Harbor Freight. Tractor supply has a Larin that seems to be built really well. It is constructed good and has an air assisted bottle jack. The only thing is that it's about 50 bucks more than the Harbor Freight. The HF one's look by all means the same as any old run of the cherry picker, of course the metal seems to be a little thin and there is that brilliant yellow paint job with "Made In China" stamped on it as big as a football field.

Anyone have experience/ ideas on which way to go?

Are you referring to a shop crane? I've never seen a cherry picker with a bottle jack.

If you are talking about the engine hoist, I purchased the one from Harbor Frieght and have to this point lifted three engines, the rear end differential of my truck and also tipped my frame over on its side just this week so I could clean the bottom side of the frame. I have not had any problems with this as of yet.

Ed

THIS is the one I bought from TS and it's worked flawlessly.

I have had the 2 ton folding crane from HF for several years. It is quite stout, I've abused it, and it keeps working fine. Its one of the better values at that store.

You can buy an air assisted jack from HF from their online catalog for an upgrade if you want it, but unless you are using it a lot I wouldn't bother. The stock jack is just an 8 ton long stroke bottle jack with mounting ears on the bottom.

I have used the term cherry picker for years. I don't know the story behind why they are refered to as cherry pickers. In any case I have one that I bought at Northern tool years ago and I use it a lot. Not just for engines. Well worth the money.Saves the back. Cleon

i've heard that term also ,so i knew what you were talking about.how often will you use it? do you need air assist?i bought mine second hand several yrs ago.and only verly rarely use it.so i say ask yourself these questions ,read thru the responses again and make your decision.they can take up alot of floor space i would consider a folding unit if i had a small shop.mine is actually going in another building when i get my motor back in...............dave

I'm just going to use it in my own garage for swapping the drivetrain out in the 54. Down the road I plan on pulling the bed and cab in order for some massive paint work.

I just bought the unit from Tractor Supply this afternoon. I think it is a good fit for my garage that is limited on space. It is built different than anything I've ever seen. The main boom is actually two pieces of steel welded at about a 30 degree angle and of course the center piece slides in and out. The legs of the picker are actually squared off rather than tapered like most. Rather than the legs folding up, they slide in and out of each other. The whole unit collapses to about the size of a shopping cart.

As far as money goes, I think I got a killer deal. It was originally priced at $400 bucks but since they had it so long it was marked down to $250. Even after that, I got another 10% off out of them. Not bad for a country boy I guess.

Not bad for anyone... it's always nice to get new toys and even nicer when you get them at a big discount.

I gave $179.00 for mine at HF,but it arrived missing a couple of very necessary parts,and it took them 5 months to finally get the last part to me. Other than that,though,it works great,I haven't broken it yet,and where'd you find a YELLOW one? All I could find was orange/pink.Anyway,this one works fine for me,and when I know I'm done swapping engines for a while,Dutchman's gonna show me how to convert it to a knuckle boom for "Max".
Speed

Think you made a wise decision by buying at Tractor Supply.The term cherry picker has been used to describe just about every piece of lifting equipment, from mobile cranes to man lifts.What I call a cherry picker is a person who climbs a cherry tree and picks cherries.As for Harbor freight,I have looked thru their stores and seen nothing I would buy with the exception of a few sheets of sandpaper.

HF is a good place to buy some things. The HVLP guns they sell are surprisingly good but for the most part their stuff is of questionable quality.

A friend of mine works in a body shop and he bought 5 drill motors at HF and keeps his most common used bits in each... when he needs that bit it's already chucked up and when the drill dies, he tosses it and buys another.

Don't ever buy cutting tools there especially their tap/die sets. I don't know where they get the specs to make those tools but I've never run one without it taking material off an already threaded hole or stud. Total crap. However, I did buy a set of scrapers there that I used to scrape the crud off my frame and they worked out pretty good.

So, just like so many other things today... you pays your money and takes your chances.

the term cherry picker came from a machine that had 3 wheels and a boom with a bucket for a person to stand in and would hydraulically drive and lift up the person to pick cherry s instead of carrying a ladder around the orchard

One thing you need to look at is the height of the boom. I am not referring to the lifting height. Almost all of them will say they lift up to around 96". What good is that if the boom is extended straight up in the air. The rear of the boom needs to be positioned well above the pivot point. It has to have clearance under the bottom of the boom so that there is plenty of clearance for the radiator support. A straight boom will work to pick an engine off the ground or reach DOWN to pick an engine up/out of a car. A truck is obviously taller and a six is a tall engine. You can't start the pull, if the boom is already at an UP angle.
The air assist is great when working alone because you can operate it while leaning over the fender. I just wish I could also lower mine the same way.

Whatever you buy, get one that folds for storage because you won't use it everyday.

here is a tip, when using your Cherry picker / shop crane / engine hoist / etc to remove cedar tree stumps, make sure the tap root is fully cut prior to yanking up on it....

I had to take my main boom in to work to get a new one made 'cause i bent it. The hydraulics on my unit are much stronger than the main boom. I bought mine from a local tool guy about 9 years ago. To date, I have removed 15 trees, placed 5 beds, 6 cabs, 7 rear end assemblies, one front end assembly, 4 boulders, 3 bumpers, 2 doors, the rear half of a fiero, the front half of a camaro, and about 3 dozen engines (some with and without transmissions). The only thing that would make that tool better would be powered wheels and a hoist on it. I welded a basket behind the main boom and between the rear wheels to hold the wrenches, engine tilter, various chains and clevises for pulling stuff.

I just bought one at Northern tools this month for $199, was on sale online marked down from $239. Store Honored online price. The 6 wheel like I got is rated to 96" & 4000 lbs, while their 4 wheel was 2000lb and 84" lift, about $30 differance between them. I opted for capicity & fold up design, Buy the best you can afford it will serve you better and be SAFER. Mine did well in lifting the bed off plenty of clearance.
Brad

I bought one from Pep Boys a few years back for around $120. I use it for everything. The frame, cab, engines, transmissions, etc... I agree with what is said about making sure it folds up.

I got mine from a discount tool shop that was going out of business, he said it was his cost but any way it was a good deal I thought, I paid $89.00 including the engine leveler. I have used it a lot for engines and have lifted a couple cabs too. I had one made by my father-in-law about 50 years ago made out of double extra heavy pipe and doubled up channel iron frame, weighed about 400 lbs. but had almost unlimited lift capacity. I gave it to my brother-in-law since his dad made it, then bought my discount one. The fold up feature makes it great, only takes a little space to store it, and it's a lot lighter to move than the old one.

I bought the 2-ton model from HF on sale for less than $200. I have pulled my cab, original engine w/trans and set the new one as well. It is the fold up model w/6 wheels. I can tell you this it went together without a hitch it doesen't bleed off under load and I have had no issues with its ability to do the job. Here it is in action along with the load leveler that HF sells. I don't love them for everything but this was a good deal.
http://community.webshots.com/photo/2887714350102454676ezrFzq

Brad,although I will not buy anything from HF,I am glad your lift is working good for you.